Sports bar in NLR shuts down
The Fox & Hound in North Little Rock’s Lakewood Village Shopping Center, 2800 Lakewood Village Drive, has closed. “RIP” was the sports bar’s Facebook page terse Jan. 3 post. And the gentleman who answered the phone last week — (501) 753-8300 — confirmed the closure.
Feb. 15 is the target opening date for the resurrection of Casey’s Bar-B-Q in the former Arkansas Burger Company building, 7410 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. We’re still awaiting details on menu, hours and a phone number.
Amy Weng, owner of Poke Hula, 419 E. Third St., in the former Blue Canoe kitchen space/Taco Beer Burrito location, says they’re in the midst of a soft opening and plan to fully open to the public next week. Weng, who also owns and operates Samurai Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar in the Shackleford Crossings Shopping Center, 2604 S. Shackleford Road, Little Rock, touts her family’s long experience with sushi and calls poke (that’s POHke, a trendy Hawaiian bowl centering on raw sushi-grade fish with a variety of side items) the next culinary step up from sushi. It’s something she and her family encountered on both East and West coasts, “and we thought it would be great to bring that to the people of Arkansas,” she says. The Facebook page, facebook.com/pokehula, provides a sneak peek at the menu. Hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. The phone number is (501) 2463368; the website, pokehulaar. com.
Meanwhile, as of Tuesday’s deadline, at Ohia Poke (formerly Aloha Poke), in the former Lulav/The Veg space, 220 W. Sixth St., Little Rock, co-owner Au Tran was anticipating opening her doors on Monday, pending Wednesday’s Health Department inspection. Hours will be 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. The restaurant phone number is (501) 502-6330.
As it nears its 2019 centenary, Franke’s Cafeteria, in the Regions Building, 400 Broadway (with a next-door “Sack It” grill) and in the Market Place Shopping Center, 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, family owned and operated since 1919, is seeking “your Franke’s story or memory” and shareable pictures. Mail to Franke’s, attn: